How To Wash Your Bedding

The wash care label is very important if you want your NEW bedlinen to last for many years to come. With a mind boggling array of different materials, colours and weaves to choose from having just one plain simple set of washing and ironing instructions is not going to cover it. Most bedding manufacturers give a very good guarantee with their products, if you follow the guidelines correctly that will replace or repair any items that do not last as long as they say they will.

The guarantee would normally cover issues such as pilling, shrinkage, splitting or even skewing which is covered by the general wear and tear guarantee. Some manufacturers are smart and all bedding can be tested and they can prove how the sheets have been washed and if the temperature was too high or if you have used the incorrect washing powers or a optical brighter.

Washing powders can be a miracle to the average household, they give you all sorts of new ways to clean your bedlinen but most rely on optical brighteners and bleaches to remove stains and marks and this can be very destructive to modern fabrics. If you know how modern bedlinen fabrics are dyed you will know that pastel shades only alter the colour of the original grey fabric on the top of the yarns whereas deep dyes are bathed more often and penetrate the yarns much more effectively.

On the flip side of this if you use a high strength grade of washing powder you will literally bleach your sheets. We all know what happens when you spill neat bleach on your clothes, the dreaded little white marks appear spoiling the appearance. This is basically what happens to your bedlinen over time with repeated washing with cheap washing powders and liquids. If is best to go with a leading branded cleaner that has good results and are well trusted.

You may think you are saving money buying a lesser brand but you can be rest assured that a new set of cheap sheets will cost you more in the long run. Once you have bought a good cleaner you may think you have now solved your cleaning issue, well one major reason for bedlinen being ruined is the drying process.

Now you have washed your sheets, what about drying them? In years gone by the vast majority of UK households had access to a washing line. This is the best way to naturally dry any fabric, the gentle blowing of the wind speeds up the natural wicking process and the sheets dried without creasing and shrinking.

In today’s modern age of tumble driers and the need to have things done as quickly as possible most bedlinen fabrics end up being dried out too quickly using too much heat. With polycotton fabrics this is not too bad but some ironing will be needed but with cotton bedlinen this can be disastrous as the cotton fibres will shrink and cause creases that only a good quality steam iron or steam press will make the sheets look pristine.

If tumble drying is your only way of drying your sheets at least use the lowest setting possible, not only is this good for the environment and also gentle to the fabric giving it more time to release the water vapour and letting the yarns relax more naturally. This make take much longer than you are used too but will save you time ironing the creases out before you dress the bed or store the items away in your linen cupboard.

So just to recap, buy the best bedlinen you can afford, the better the brand the better that fabric. Top UK bedding manufacturers have a reputation to uphold so they spend a lot of time, effort and money making sure that you get a top quality product that will keep you coming back for more and more importantly, recommending a friend. This type of recommendation is the best one as you will always trust your friends and family to give you the best review.

Don’t forget the wash care label, this is there for a reason and not just to look bad stuck to the end of the sheets. Forget what you may have learned or been told in the past, modern fabrics are a far cry from the old heavy cotton sheets your mum used to wash and they do not need the same amount of heavy washing and ironing. Be kind to the environment, use eco friendly washing powders or liquids and if you can use a washing line, believe it or not it has been one of the best and most simple inventions ever to hit the bedlinen world.